Jenova
by Sabriel J
Summary: Hojo knows no bounds. What if he created a clone of Sephiroth? Oops, he messed up. Looks like Seph has a little sister. How does this affect things? Oh, look, she’s friends with Cloud… Vote for the pairings!
1. Chapter 1

Jenova.

Summary: Hojo knows no bounds. What if he created a clone of Sephiroth? Oops, he messed up. Looks like Seph has a little sister. How does this affect things? Oh, look, she's friends with Cloud… Vote for the pairings!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Final Fantasy 7, oh what I would have done! Sadly I don't so I must fulfil all my fantasies (keep you mind clean!) on fanfiction. Nothing is being made from the writing of this story save my pleasure.

Authoress' Note: I haven't played the game, but have watched my cousin play only parts of it. He was hogging the game. So, I don't know what really happens, apart what I have gleamed from other stories and from Advent Children. Anyone who would be willing to give me a story breakdown, or knows of a good site which has one, I will be eternally grateful.

All pairings can be voted for in reviews. No pairings have been chosen and would love your input.

* * *

Stifled cried meant nothing to Hojo as he worked. The youngest experiment had shown the most promise than all before. If he could, he would have insisted that woman get pregnant again to further his studies, but alas, she died.

Hojo glanced at the six year old boy crying in pain behind the glass-like wall. The so-called glass was in fact one of the strongest materials known to man, and it had to be. Hojo had pumped the child with so much Mako; even Hojo didn't know if the child was human anymore. The changes and mutations were numerous. Green eyes looked up through silver hair and the pain, and glared at him. Hojo was slightly shaken at the hatred directed at him, but quickly dismissed it. This was for Shinra and for science. And because he was the greatest scientist alive and an evolutionist. One boy was worth it.

The little boy cringed at the pain, trying to keep quiet. Last time he had cried, that monster hurt him more. Monster. That was what they called him because they said he wasn't human… Well, if being human hurt others so much, he didn't want to be one. One of the nicer humans explained what a monster was. A thing that hurt people. So, that made Him a monster. Hojo. They said his name was Hojo.

He groaned a little, biting his lip in attempt to not make a sound. It felt like every cell in his body was on fire and his eyes. Oh, they stung and blurred. They called it Mako. He had been born in it and they still filled him full of that Mako. Long silver his twisted face, hiding it from the people outside. No one cared. Sephiroth had learnt some time ago that no one cared. And those that did seem to care never came back.

Hojo sat alone in his office and studied the cells under an electro-microscope. That boy never failed to surprise him. His body adapted at phenomenal rates to accepted and change the Mako given to him. His body changed it so he could use it. And the benefits for the body were showing. Hojo knew Mako enhanced the body, he had done it to countless Soldiers for Shinra, but it had been rejected by every other 'subject'. Hojo had tried to pump children, kidnapped off the streets, which Mako and see how it affects a growing body over time. All experiments were failures, the bodies had mutated beyond recognition, just like when an adult body was pumped with massive amounts of Mako. The save amounts Sephiroth was being injected with. Sighing, Hojo took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

He wished yet again he had another test subject. He had to discover what was different at birth that allowed for such an adaptation! Was it the Mako birth? Or the genes of two people exposed to Mako and Gaia? But the mother was dead and he only had a few frozen cells of her. Sighing Hojo looked at the cells again, in deep thought.

He bolted upright. There was a way! He immediately pulled out files of data to check if it would work. Hours later, Hojo sat back with a satisfied smirk. It could be done, but most of the cells would have to be taken from Sephiroth. But it could be done. If he couldn't get a new test subject, the he would make one. Tomorrow would be the first day of the cloning of Sephiroth…

The next few weeks few by and Sephiroth noticed with suspicion that Hojo was busy with something else. But knowing the Monster, Sephiroth pitied that someone else. Oh, he still got those painful injections of Mako and still had tests done, but the assistants did those. And they weren't nearly as rough as the Monster. Twirling his long hair around his finger, Sephiroth watched the humans bustle around the outside, trying to see what was happening. They hardly ever cut his hair so it just kept growing until it was so ling they had to cut it. He caught glimpses of screens with DNA Data written across them. He saw strange objects, not like the usual ones he saw, and shivered slightly, hoping that they weren't for him. After a few days, the humans were shaking each other's hands and congratulating one an other.

The next day the Monster was back. And with him came more pain that usual. But Monster did not stay as long, he left to go somewhere else. And this made Sephiroth smile slightly. The tutors also came now. Before it was only every once I a while, but now it was every second day. They always sat on the other side of the see-through wall. They were scared of him, most of them at least. But they didn't know that the Monster here was out there with them, and not him.

Sephiroth craved the knowledge given to him, learning at an accelerated rate. The world outside interested him and he needed to understand it. When he got out of here he would show them, starting with Monster. Out of all the tutors, one was very nice to him. She was teaching him reading, writing and speaking. every time she came she gave him books to read and understand. He could pull apart a book by every part of speech and figures of speech. That could be learnt, but Sephiroth struggled to recognise emotions, which baffled the lady greatly. She said it was because he had little to no human contact. But Sephiroth wanted to keep it that way, human's meant pain. Pain was what they called what he felt. And so Sephiroth tried to learn these 'emotions'. Tears, drops of water that were secreted by glands in the eyes, showed sadness. A smile, movement of facial muscles to form an upward semi-circle, meant happiness. Shouting, talking in a loud voice, meant anger. And so on…

Hojo was happy. He walked around with a scary smile on his face. Sephiroth was absorbing the knowledge as a sponge and would began training shortly. Shinra was happy with his progress and plans, heck, the guy even gave him a raise for good work. And the clone was in the artificial Mako womb and would be 'born' in a few months time. Everything was perfect.

Some months later, Sephiroth dragged himself into his 'room'. Cell was more like it. The room he had seen for the first six years of his life was actually underground. Now, on top of his studies, he had to 'train' with 'SOLDIER' to become one. Sephiroth was told who and what they were on the first day. And that he was expected to join soon. So they had came to train him. Sephiroth was reluctant at first, but then he realised it was a way out of the cage the Monster had him in. so the blood and pain was worth it. It was nothing compared to the injections. At fighting, he was unexpectedly good at. They said he was a natural and then beat him harder. They kept pushing him and made him push back. Sighing into the hard bed under the covers, Sephiroth smirked. It felt good to show the human's what pain was. It felt good to exert the pain on someone else. It felt good to see them bleed for once.

They were fast for human's but he was faster. And over time he would get stronger. That was a vow Sephiroth made to himself as he fell asleep. Hours later, the noise from the room awoke him. Siting up, he was fully alert as he watched the scene before him. Monster was shouting and the assistants were running around. Anger, panic. The weird object in a tank was the focus. Sephiroth listened and tried to understand what was happening. He only caught snippets.

The womb…losing the experiment…mechanical failure…Hojo furious…cannot redo…child…

Sephiroth watched at they drained the tank and pulled the object, the womb, out. He watched with fascination as they cut is open and pulled out a body. They then connected the little thing to a machine. Some where making weird movements and one brought a thin white blanket, like his own, and wrapped the thing in it. A beeping noise sounded and Hojo calmed down. The assistants looked relieved and surrounded what ever it was. Tired, and knowing he had lessons the next day, or later that day, Sephiroth went back to sleep.

The nice lady was here again. She never told him her name but she knew his. She was always happy and smiling. After finishing the planned lesson, Hojo came by to observe him. Sephiroth forced himself to appear relaxed in the Monster's presence. Never show fear. That was what the SOLDIER said. The nice lady spoke to him, asking if the Monster told me about my… sister? Monster shook his head and stared at her. I've never seen that facial expression before. The lady said thing else and they argued. Something about emotions and responsibility. Monster finally nodded and left. The lady smiled and spoke to one of the assistants. A few moments later the assistant entered my 'room' with something in his arms. Curiously, Sephiroth watch him.

"Sephiroth," the lady spoke to him, so he turned his head to face her, "this is your little sister, Jenova. Do you know what a sister is?"

Sephiroth thought and nodded slowly, returning his gaze to the assistant, "A female sibling who shares the same parents with another." he quoted form memory. The lady nodded.

"This is my sister, Jenova?" Sephiroth asked slowly, and she replied yes. He peered curiously at the small bundle in the arms of the assistant, who tensed up. Carefully, Sephiroth moved the blanket aside, to see two violet eyes looking up at him and the tell-tale silver hair from her head. The small hand grabbed his fingers, shocking Sephiroth. Unsure what to do, he looked at the lady. In all the books he read, brothers protected and loved their sisters. And the sisters loved them back. Love. And emotion he couldn't understand and the lady couldn't explain. She said it was wonderful and complex.

"She's so small," Sephiroth finally said, "and she's got me finger and won't let go."

The lady laughed and nodded, "Jenova is only a baby. She will be small and because she is a baby, she doesn't understand the world yet. She doesn't know anything. Just be gentle and pull your finger away."

Be gently. Gentle, in a kind nature or manner. Kind, compassionate actions or nature. Slowly he pulled his finger away, ignoring the small tug from…Jenova. She let go and gurgled. Sephiroth smiled slightly and the frowned at the noise. He looked at the lady who shook her head and smiled.

"Just a baby. She can't speak yet. Those noises are normal."

Sephiroth nodded but was still curious. His…sister was small and frail. She looked as of she could break. She probably could. Hesitantly, he asked to do something he remembered reading.

"Can I hold her?"

This effectively shocked both the assistant and the lady, and Hojo who was observing from afar. The assistant looked at Hojo, who nodded. This was getting interesting. Sephiroth had never shown care for another, and here he was asking to hold a child.

The assistant placed the child into Sephiroth's arms and positioned his arms so the baby was comfortable and stable. Violet eyes watched emerald one, which widen. A small hand reached out and emerald eyes watched in curiously. The hands touched Sephiroth's silver hair and grasped it and pulled. Sephiroth flinched at the action but watched at the grip loosened and the baby gurgled.

"Hello Jenova. I'm your older brother Sephiroth," he said. And then she smiled. Slowly, Sephiroth smiled back, ignoring the gasps around him. Slowly, he rocked her, watching her closely. Jenova yawned and eyes closed. Sometime later her breathing evened out indicating she was asleep. But she hadn't let go his hair.

Sephiroth held her close. He was feeling something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was…a good feeling and that he needed to protect her. Sephiroth made his second vow.

Eight years later…

The years flew by and Sephiroth watch the little baby grow up before his eyes. That changed him. He what was called innocents in her and he wanted to protect that. He still couldn't handle emotions well, but he could connect with his little sister.

She had been given a 'room' next to his and the same treatment. Sephiroth was currently wiping his blade as his watched over Jenova as she slept. Her hair was silver like his and was as long as his. Her eyes were a violet colour, mixed with the green Mako. The very thought angered him and he remembered. Sephiroth hoped, when he was younger, that she would never go through the Mako injections. He saw her, barely days old, with a Mako drip on her. He had hated the Monster then truly hated him. After that, he was there for every injection and drip, always hugging her afterwards. They didn't dare separate him from her. The last time he had went on what they called a rampage. He attacked the assistants and they had sedated him in the end.

Jenova started to stir and woke up to the familiar sight of her brother watching her. He would always be watching her. He said it was to make sure she was safe. She…trusted him. She too found emotions difficult but not as hard as her brother. He had helped her, or so the nice lady had told her. He had shown her emotions even though no one showed him. Sephiroth was wiping his new blade. He had been happy when he got it. It was long, about 6 feet and thin. It was a gift from Shinra because Sephiroth was going to join them soon. He was very good. The best, as she heard the SOLDIERs say. She had been watching him for ages. She had memorised almost all the katas and movements. When her brother fought he looked free and he was graceful.

Jenova smiled at her brother though she felt an internal pain. The lady called it an 'emotional pain'.

"What are you going to name it, Seph?" Jenova asked as she got up and walked over to her brother. Monster had taken out the glass-like wall from between them.

"Name it?" Sephiroth asked, confused.

Jenova nodded and smiled. "You have to name it! All the great heroes do!"

Sephiroth nodded and thought. "Why don't you name it?"

Jenova looked thoughtful and then smiled, "I name it Masamune ," and she quickly kissed the blade, "keep my brother safe."

Sephiroth looked startled but nodded at the name. he set aside the sword and pulled Jenova into a hug. She willingly returned. Muffled, she said, "I'm going to miss you Seph. You will keep in touch and remember me, right?"

Seph smiled down as her and nodded, "I couldn't forget you even if I tried. You're my sister and I love you." and Jenova smiled back, happy, knowing what those words really meant to her brother. Despite what Sephiroth thought, she wasn't totally naïve.

Later that year…

Sephiroth was at Shinra Midgar, being tested. In two months he was already at the level of a First Class SOLDIER and was a prime candidate for being the next General, despite being 16. The war was imminent and would break out over the next few years.

Jenova on the other hand, was kept at the small town and taken into a family. It was Hojo that declared she would distract Sephiroth and was better kept away from him. Both siblings had been furious but Sephiroth caved in at the thought of his sister having a normal life. What he didn't know was the couple that took Jenova in, was in fact, two of Hojo's Assistants. They were paid to continue injecting her and recording data. The data was then sent to Hojo at Midgar. But this time she was alone in dealing with all of experimentations. Sephiroth was a success, so Hojo couldn't continue the experiments on him. Shinra wouldn't allow for that, but they didn't deny him to experiment on the 'clone' as Jenova was called.

Time passed and the people of the town often saw a girl standing by the bog building, looking outside. They often asked about it but the 'parents' merely said she was 'different' and being tutored as such. They merely believed it as they saw her silver hair and violet eyes. But as months passed, Jenova begged her two caretakers to let her go to school. They argued she was too advanced but she insisted. Eventually, they relented, probably on Monster's orders.

So on the first day of school, Jenova got up early and smiled to herself. She got ready in her simple clothes, a long skirt and a top she slipped her short knife on the harness on her thigh. The knife had been a gift from her brother. She grabbed her book bag and ate breakfast alone. Her 'caretakers' were never around unless they had to do tests on her. She glanced up at the clock and sighed. She had ages before school started! Nevertheless, she got up, washed the dishes and left. The walk to school was a short one and soon she was by the big gates. There was only one school in the town.

Walking into the school yard Jenova heard voices. Curious, she followed them. Rounding a corner, she caught sight of 4 boys cornering a blonde boy, who was smaller than them. A memory flashed through her mind. An old tale, about... bullying. Frowning, she stepped forward, "What are you doing?"

The four boys whirled around and stared at her. The one boy sneered, "It's just a girl." The others nodded and sneered at her. "Get out of her if you know what's good for you."

Jenova shook her head, "No, how about you leave?" The four boys looked at each other and laughed. The nerve of the girl! Jenova frowned. She didn't understand why they were laughing.

"I have no problem hitting a girl," the one boy said, stepping forward menacingly. Sthe blonde boy interrupted them, "No! Leave her alone."

Jenova looked at the boy. Her violet eyes locked with a shining blue. "You would rather be hurt than allow then to try and hurt me?" she asked confused. No one apart from Sephiroth had ever cared for, let alone someone she had just met!

Before the boy could reply, one of the brutes took a swing at Jenova. The blonde cried out in warming but instincts kicked in for Jenova. She moved fast, dodging the blow and punching the attacker in the stomach. The boy kneeled over, shocked and the others stared at her.

Thinking fast, Jenova analyzed the situation. With one captive, she would have to fast talk. If she fought, the captive may get injured. Priority was the captive. Jenova narrowed her eyes and took a fighting position, hands in fists.

"Anyone else want to try and hit me? My brother is a SOLDIER and he did train me."

That did. The four boys left murmuring, remembering their parent's warning about the silver-haired girl from the Shinra Mansion. The weird one.

"Thanks, but you shouldn't have worried about me. I would have been fine," the boy said, "I'm Cloud." He smiled.

Jenova smiled hesitantly, "Did you want to get hurt?" Cloud shook his head, "Then i did the right thing stepping in. I'm Jenova, nice to meet you Cloud."

* * *

Does anyone out there think I'm crazy? Leave a comment or a review. That nice BIG button at the bottom.

SJ


	2. Chapter 2

Jenova.

Summary: Hojo knows no bounds. What if he created a clone of Sephiroth? Oops, he messed up. Looks like Seph has a little sister. How does this affect things? Oh, look, she s friends with Cloud Vote for the pairings!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Final Fantasy 7, oh what I would have done! Sadly I don t so I must fulfill all my fantasies (keep you mind clean!) on fanfiction. Nothing is being made from the writing of this story save my pleasure.

Authoress Note: I haven t played the game, but have watched my cousin play only parts of it. He was hogging the game. So, I don t know what really happens, apart what I have gleamed from other stories and from Advent Children. Anyone who would be willing to give me a story breakdown, or knows of a good site which has one, I will be eternally grateful.

All pairings can be voted for in reviews. No pairings have been chosen and would love your input.

* * *

The years passed and a tight friendship formed between Cloud and Jenova. Being somewhat of outcasts, they stuck together to face off the bullies. Word spread fast of Jenova s abnormalities, and even Cloud at times had to wonder about her. She just couldn't connect with people or understand them. More than once her words had hurt him, but she had, over the years, slowly let slip about her past. It confused him. Why would someone want to join the people who did all those experiments on them? She still wanted to join ShinRa.

Cloud sighed as he surveyed the people around him. They were all so much older and bigger than he was. How could stand a chance to get into ShinRa with this type of competition. It was practically hopeless, but again Jenova insisted. Over the years she had always said that size doesn't matter in a battle. But it sure did help; was what Cloud always added. Then again, Cloud pondered on Jenova's chances. Female SOLDIER was only introduced three years ago, and only four had been admitted into the program. The requirements were stricter and tougher than the male regime and that had cut the candidates quickly. Sure, they had started preparing quite a while ago for these exams, but Cloud couldn't help but feel at a disadvantage. Even some of these female candidates were more muscular than him!

"Don't worry Cloud," Jenova's voice came fom behind him, causing him to jump slightly, "we will get in. You probaly know more than a 3rd class SOLDIER anyway."

Cloud turned around and raised an eyebrow at his long-time friend. She had grown and was, embarrassingly, almost a head taller than him, though more slender than him. Her eyes were a glowing violet, and her strange silver hair was hidden under a hat.

"I'm still smaller than everyone else here, Jen. There's very little consolidation for that," Cloud responded dryly, wearily eyeing the other cadets. The induction hall was rather large and there were a lot of people hoping to join SOLDIER. There was a stage in the front, raised so everyone could see the stage. A voice came over the speakers, calling for attention from the assembly of cadets. Cloud felt Jenova coming to stand next to him, gripping his arm tightly.

Major Girry stood in front eyeing the cadets with distaste. Not even a third of these cadets would be admitted into SOLDIER, then ten, maybe, would advance further than Third Class. Then there were the females; of personal opinion, shouldn't even be there. But, the General had pushed for the ruling that females could join SOLDIER after seeing the Wutai female warriors. But, those females had been brought up from birth to become a warrior. These female cadets were too soft; too frail to become warriors. The same could be said for many of the male cadets. But those would be weeded out soon enough.

"Cadets! ATTENTION!" Major Girry called as Sephiroth stepped into the wings. Most cadets stopped talking; only a few saluted and stood properly. there were a few that carried of chatting. Major Girry suppressed a smirked at what he knew what was coming.

"Maggots, I believe the Major called for attention," came the cold voice with a flash of silver that caught eyes. General Sephiroth was here. Jenova's breathe caught as she silently squeezed Cloud's arm. Cloud spared her a glance and a smile. A cold sneer graced the General's face as he regarded the new cadets. They were getting worse every year. The hall was silent as he continued, barely sparing a glance for the yawning Zack.

"You are here Cadets to try to be accepted into SOLDIER. The elite guard and army of ShinRa. Many of you think you are good enough. But I will tell you: you aren't. Less than half of you will have the honour of making it through the cadet training, and half of that number would be lucky to become a 3rd Class SOLDIER. That is my reality. I only accepted the best. So all that is left to say is good luck and try not to kill anyone, namely yourself." Sephiroth glared at the assembly for good measure before nodding to his Firsts, and then storming off. It was a known fact that he hated these events and doing speeches.

Jenova looked at Cloud, worriedly as Girry told them to chack the boards outside the hall to see their allocation to which rooms and to collect their timetables. The cadets filed out in some semblance of order, after the higher class officers that is, leaving Cloud looking at Jenova. Her gaze was planted on the ground with a sad look in her eyes, a few strand of silver hair escaped their prison. Cloud merely hugged her. Pulling away, he was rewarded with a weak smile.

"Cmon, lets go and check where we are sleeping during the training," Cloud said with a small smile, his arm still on the taller girl's arm.

Cloud entered his dorm slowly, eyes warily looking around at the somewhat hostile and disbeliveing looks he was getting. Sighing, he moved to his assigned bunk and put his stuff down. He luckily got the bottom bunk. Looking up, Cloud glanced to see who would be his bunkmate, his eyes catching green and red. Looking down at him, the redhead grinned and waved.  
6 "Hey, I'm Reno. From Midgar. You?" he said.

Cloud sighed internally before nodding, "Cloud. From Nibelhiem. Nice to meet you."

"Heh," Reno nodded before falling back onto his bed, but his voice drifted down from above, causing Cloud to pause as he searched through his duffle bag, "what made a small town boy like you join SOLDIER, Cloudy?"

"Don't call me that," Cloud growled out before adding, "it's in the blood. It's my best friend and my calling."

"Huh?" came the confused answer and Reno peeked over the edge of the bed, his red hair drifting slightly.

"My father was a First and my uncle was a Second. And Jen's brother is a First and her father was a Turk, It's in the blood and it's all we have talked about since we were kids. Got to keep up the family tradition. You?"

Reno whistled at the infomation, before asking, "Jen? As in a female cadet? I joined cos I'm gonna be a Turk. No family legacy but simply my dream, ya know? I grew up in the streets, in the slums."

Cloud looked at him with a thoughtful look and nodded. He then answered, "Yeah, Jenova de Silver. You ever face her in sword work, run. She's a monster."

Reno laughed and nodded, "Ya know what, Chocobo? I think this is the begining of a wonderful friendship."

Cloud scowled and looked away, fuming. Internally he wondered what his punishment would be if he kiled his bunkmate...

Jenova stepped into the small dorm without hesistation and without a glance at her companions. She calmly walked to her bed and placed her duffle bag down. It was only when a voice cut through the silence that she looked up.

"Well, what do we have here? A another newbie."

Looking up, Jenova was met with seven other girls, all older and bigger than her. Standing up, she smiled slightly before offering an awkward, "Hello."

"What's your name, Freshie?" a tall blond girl with quite a built figure asked with a sneer.

"Jenova de Silver." Jenova said neutrally, eyeing the other girls warily now as her instincts screamed at her to neatralise the threats.

"Well, de Silver. Know this, apart from you and Morita, the rest of us have been cadets before. No female has ever been accepted into SOLDIER on their first try before. So get used to it and stay out of our way, geenies."

Jenova's violet eyes narrowed as she carefully assessed the situation and going with the best possible solution. She merely nodded and returned to duffle. Getting changed quickly for bed, Jenova slipped under the covers after storing her duffle bag under her bed. But before she could close her eyes, a meek voice spoke to her.

"Hi, I'm Keli Morita form Juno."

Jenova turned to look at the bed next to hers and noted the slightly bigger black-haired girl. Forcing a small smile, Jenova replied, "Jenova from Nibelhiem." She then turned around and fell asleep, anticipating the morning classes.

The cadets stood quietly in the training hall. They eyed the walls of weaponery as they awaited their instructor. They didn't hvae to wait long as the doors banged open revealing a Second Class SOLDIER, Leo Pednis. He took one look at the bunch of cadets ebfore bellowing out, "Form a line maggots!"

Immediately, a line was formed of the forty cadets, of which five were female standing at the end. Pednis walked down the line, eyeing each one as with a face of disgusted. He paused momentarilly infront of the female cadets and a sneer formed on his face. He stopped suddenly and looked the cadet up and down.

"What are you wearing, Cadet?" he asked in a low voice.

Jenova raised her eyes to meet his, "The male uniform, sir!"

"Name cadet! And why would you be wearing such a thing, cadet?" Pednis continued.

"Cadet Jenova de Silver, sir! Sir, the male uniform allows for easier movemnet than the skirts of the female uniform sir! And the cloth tied around my head is to keep my hair from distracting myself or giving my opponent an advantage, sir!"

A thoughtful look entered Pednis's eyes, but his sneer was firmly in place as he nodded, "Very well cadet de Silver."

Walking to face the whole line, Pednis demand, "Those who have taken the cadet test before step back!" Four females and five males stepped back silently. Nodding, he continued, "Those who have handled a weapon before step forward!"

Three males and the last female cadet stood foward. This caused an eyebrow to be raised from Pednis. "You! Redhead! Name and where did you learn to fight with what weapon!"

"Reno, sir. I fight with daggers or with rods. I was taught from gangs from under the plate," the redhead said with a smirk.

"Next!"

"Derek Tallin, sir. Fists from my uncle who runs a dojo."

"Next!"

"Cloud Strife, sir. I was trained in sword fighting by my father and uncle before they died in Wutai, and then from my best friend Jenova, sir."

"Wutai? They fought the war?" Pednis asked slightly curious.

"Yes, sir! My father was a first class soldier and my uncle was a second class soldier, sir!"

Nodding, Pednis turned a sharp eye to the last cadet, "Where did you learn, Cadet de Silver?"

"My elder brother, sir! He is a SOLDIER First class and my father who was a Turk, sir!"

That caused Pednis to stop and stare at the girl who met his gaze. Seeing that she was telling the truth, he decided. "Strife! De Silver! Pick up your the wooden version of your weapon and spar. I wish to see what you have been taught," Pednis declared in a tone that screamed that he didn't believe that they knew much.

Jenova and Cloud retrieved their weapons and stood facing each other on the blue mat. Jenova swung her two wooden blades in her hand, testing the balance and weight. Cloud tossed his bastard sowrd from one hand to the other as well. Taking their stand, Pednis yelled to begin.

Jenova made the first move, speeding towards Cloud who moved to the side evasively, still blocking as Jenova's signature move followed. Despite running head on, at the last second to follow Cloud, she used her right foot to flip herself backwards to strike at Cloud, which was blocked. Cloud retailiated with pushing against her blades for a moment and then dropping to the ground to sweep her feet and she landed. He only suceeded in sweepig one as Jenova flipped again, out of his reach.

Not wasting a second, Cloud charged at her, swiping and cuting, throwing parts of katas from every thing he knew; be it third, second or the few first class ones. Jenova dodged and blocked with ease and grace, as if it was effortless, never missing the beat. She then gave as much as she got, matching Cloud's fast pace of attacks and blocks.

The end came quite suddenly after almost fifteen minutes of sparing, Jenova performed some acrobatice feats in a fast pace combined with twisting her left sword around her hand to pass a block and point it at Cloud's throat, forcing his to yield.

Panting slightly, Cloud backed off and smiled. Jenova smiled back and nodded. Silence met the end of their match. Turning to Pednis, he merely stared at them in shock. Moreso at Jenova.

"You were taught well. You are both atleast third class in sword fighting. The most I can do is get you a personal trainer, Strife. As for de Silver, you should speak to you brother. I can put in a recommendation for you to take the SOLDIER tests in a few weeks and if your brother were to ask the general to bump you straight in if you materia skills are up to par and-" Pednis said, still in shock.

"With all due respect sir, but that is not an option. I will make it into SOLDIER without my brother's influence or favors. Only on my skill and strength, sir." Jenova said with a steel bite in her voice.

Pednis met her gaze with a smirk and nodded, "Then I'll find you a trainer too." All the while thinking that he was going to like these two cadets and that hadn't happened in a very long time.

Read and review! I wonder if insanity is contagious.  
SJ


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